Many modern vehicles, such as trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) make use of a tube type hitch receiver. When not in use, it is not uncommon for a hitch attached to such a hitch receiver to protrude some distance beyond the vehicle's rear bumper. Hitches that stick out beyond the rear bumper can lead to injuries wherein a person may bump into the hitch and sustain injuries to legs and knees. A driver might forget that the attached hitch is protruding beyond the vehicle's rear bumper and may inadvertently hit another vehicle while reversing. Drivers of other vehicles may not notice the protruding hitch and make inappropriate contact thereby causing damage to both vehicles.
The problem presented, therefore, for many drivers is where to put the hitch to avoid mishaps. Some drivers decide to remove their vehicle's hitch and place it inside or elsewhere on the vehicle. Such a strategy often leads to other problems. For example, a hitch placed on the bed of a pick-up truck may roll about during road trips and cause damage to the bed of the pick-up truck. The hitch is also easier to steal if left in the bed of a pick-up truck.
The driver might decide to remove the hitch and store it, for example, on or in his/her house or garden shed and later retrieve the hitch when needed. If the driver is located some way from his home and finds he/she needs to use the hitch, this set of circumstances may require the driver to go to a vendor of hitches and purchase a new hitch for immediate use.
A hitch is often greasy, and grease may be inadvertently transferred from the hitch and cause accidental soiling of carpet or furniture. Thus, there is a need for a hitch storage device that stores the hitch proximate to the vehicle's hitch receiver while negating the issue of the attached hitch protruding beyond the vehicle's rear bumper.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060220347, published Oct. 5, 2006 to Witchey, describes a hitch storage device that includes a connecting member having a first surface and a second surface; a male hitch member protruding outwards from and connected to the second surface; a female hitch member connected to the second surface; and a hitch-securing member attached to the female hitch member. The male hitch member and the female hitch member when looked at from above are perpendicular to each other. The maximum distance between the hitch-securing member (180) and the male hitch member is a predetermined distance CMAX so chosen to ensure that the hitch-securing member cannot separate completely from the female hitch member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,048, issued Mar. 20, 2001 to Adair, describes a method and apparatus, including a combination linch-pin stowage adapter, for positioning a ball mount member of most class 2, 3, & 4 trailer hitches in both an operating and non operating retracted position on a trailer hitch receiver mounted underneath a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,181, issued to Biederman, describes a retractable hitch that stores away from view. The hitch consists of a hollow connector bar having an attachment end and a receiver end. The attachment end of the connector bar has an opening extending laterally through it. A mounting bar at the receiver end contains a storage chamber. A draw bar having a connector end and a hitch end fits within the connector bar. The connector end has an opening piercing it, and the hitch end has an end for connecting devices. A locking pin extends through the opening in the attachment end of the connector bar and the opening in the connector end of the draw bar. The locking pin locks in a first position for securing the draw bar in a first position for attaching devices and a second position for storing the connector bar within the storage chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,709 B2, issued to Henry, describes a holder and method of use for storing a ball mount having a stem and a ball supported on the stem in a ball hitch in which the stem is slidably received within a receiver supported on a vehicle. The holder includes a pocket for slidably receiving the stem therein and mounting means for mounting the pocket on a supporting surface of the vehicle, for example a sidewall of a truck box. The use of a pocket with suitable mounting means for mounting to a supporting surface of the vehicle while securing the stem of a ball mount therein provides proper storage for ball mounts, which are not in use. The result is that potentially damaging or annoying sliding movement of the ball mounts within a moving vehicle can be prevented.
Patent Application Publication U.S. 20020017770 A1, published to Parrish, describes a receptacle mounted at a predetermined location for storing various tow hitch apparatuses and assemblies. Behind the mounting surface, the area may be hollow such as a standard dwelling wall or solid such as a brick or concrete wall found in a basement. The '770 device may be mounted on a floor or wall of a vehicle storage compartment. The dimensions of the invention are such that it can in one embodiment receive the standard two-inch male connector and in other embodiments receive other standard male portions of a tow hitch apparatus. In particular, the invention is designed to receive the various racks that have become popular for carrying sports equipment. These rigid racks attach to the standard trailer hitch receptacle found on many vehicles.